I bought an 06 Civic Hybrid last Wednesday. I just finished my first tank and it appears I am getting approximately 40mpg. The dealer's service tech told me to expect a break in period of 5,000 to 10,000 miles before I start realizing the 48-50 mpg that is advertised.

Is this what I should expect? I live in a flat area, but it is hot. I try to drive as moderately as possible, and it is about a 50/50 mix hwy/city.

 

Yes... 5,000 is where I saw my best gains. I still don't know if it's the car or my driving (or a combination) which accounted for the improvement. My first tanks were in the mid 40's and now I'm routinely in the low 50's. Bump your tires up to 40 psi, limit use of A/C, drive slow and with a light touch on gas & brake and you'll see your MPG go up!

 

Do you notice a significant difference in feel with the tires at 40psi?

 

Tucker wlecome to GreenHybrid and congrats on a wise purchace,

Several members have indicated improvements in mpg after a break in period, myself
I haven't really noticed. My first tank I averaged 51 mpg and by the third I broke
the 60 mpg for a tank.

I attribute this more to adapting my driving style for increased mpg than to the
car breaking in. If you scan the forums you will finds plenty of information on how
to change driving habits for the better.

Also with the summer heat most are using AC , which takes a big hit on these small
engines.

Two simple items to help improve mpg:
1) Increase tire pressure - mine are set to 44 psi which is the max allowed
indicated on my tire sidewall (measured cold).

2) Lower driving speed - I tend to drive 60mph and lower, or at least obey the
posted limit.

There are many more things to try indicated through out the forum in greater detail.

 

I have my tires at the factory recommended levels and easily attain over 50 mpg with 7000 miles on the car. You should be able to get above 45, even if you run the a/c. Try the Auto cooling feature to help conserve fuel.

 

Are your tires the standard 15" ? Do you notice any issue having them at 44psi.

I found some info on this site yesterday that already has me changing my habits. I was in a 255hp Nissan Maxima for several years, but now that I drive almost 3000 miles a month the HCH just made too much sense. I like the idea of maximizing the mpg. I'm sure it will have multiple benefits.

 

I also am a new hybrid owner. Had mine for 2 weeks. In the brief time that I have owned this car, I have found that how and when you choose to apply the gas pedal greatly affects the fuel economy. My morning commute is approximately 6.7 miles over moderately hilly terrain (local road posted speed limit is 45 mph). My natural tendency is drive a little (5-10 mph) over the speed limit (except residential neighborhoods). I initially got 43 mpg for my first couple of morning commutes (using moderate steady pedal pressure to maintain speed limit). I later discovered that driving the car like you would pedal a bicycle resulted in significantly better gas mileage (applying gas in short spurts to maintain speed, accelerating near bottom of hills to make climb up hills less work, coasting to slow down instead of heavy braking). My last commute yielded 67 mpg over the same terrain & speed (slightly over the speed limit). On busier mornings that I had to come to several complete stops, my mpg dropped to 51. Starting from complete stops really kill mpg's (especially on short commutes).

I don't believe that I will ever achieve the mpg's that the Hypermilers claim, strictly due to fact that I like to drive more aggressively. But I am very please to see that you can get good mpg's driving at normal speeds.

 

I really don't know how you guys are getting this mileage. My best tank was about 43 so far and I'm really being vigilant in my driving style, utilizing these same techniques, with the exception that I keep up with traffic flow on the freeway (usually about 65mph).

 

I noticed a huge difference in mileage right around 4000 miles. I have been driving my commute now with the car for the past 2 months. The coasts were at the 45mpg up until 2 weeks ago, now the coasts are at the 55mpg mark or higher. I also noticed that it seems like I can coast with slight throttle a lot longer now. Far from scientific, just noticed big changes in the car around 4k.

The only problem is I can't get a baseline on my car at any other time. My wife drives the car alot and usually she knocks my mpg gains down by 5 mpg. I let her have the car with 45.0 mpg showing on the display. When she brought it back it was at 40.5. She tends to creep at stop lights (doesn't stay still and ruins any chance of using the AutoStop). Leaves the AC on max all the time and idles the car for 10 mins before getting in it when it's hot. She also does a lot of city driving instead of taking the back country roads.
Jayson

 

I have < 1000 miles and I notice that if I drive like normal >70 mph freeway and dont care about trying to conserve gas I will avg 43-44 mpg easily. I have to try pretty hard to get less than 40mpg.

My last tank I averaged 49mpg by being more conservative, and my last 100 miles I have gotten 64mpg by driving slower (I have factory tire pressures) <65 mph freeway and being very careful to coast as much as possible to stop signs and to feather the pedal once I get to speed. I live in hilly san diego and I was surprised that I could keep my average up with the hills, but once you get the hang of it, its not too hard.

What I dont know is if I will be able to consistently drive that slow (lifestyle change) - I may choose to be somewhere in the middle and settle for 49-50 mpg.